TRAVEL BLOG

Four Destinations, One Trip

TRAVEL BLOG

Four Destinations, One Trip

Day 1.

Today I started out my day on a long 14 hour flight to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is located in the Middle East and it was founded in 3000 b.c. Jerusalem is also one of the oldest cities in the world! Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are the three religions worshiped in Jerusalem. I was pretty hungry after the long flight so I stopped at a restaurant and tried a falafel which wasn’t bad but not my favorite.

Airport

Falafel

Jerusalem

Airport

Falafel

Jerusalem

Day 2.

The first place I visited today was the Hurva Synagogue. It’s located in the Jewish quarter of the old city of Jerusalem and it was built in the 18th century. After visiting the Hurva Synagogue I walked around the city for a while to see the different people. In Jerusalem, Christians, Islam, and Judaism are the three religions that are worshipped.

Day 3.

My last day in Jerusalem I decided to focus on Christianity and Islam since I has been learning about Judaism yesterday. I stopped by the church of the holy sepulchre. This is believed to be the place where Jesus was crucified. My final stop was Al-Aqsa Mosque where Islam is worshiped. It was finished in 705 CE. On my way back to my hotel, i stopped and tried bamba. Bamba is a peanut flavored snack made of deep fried pasta that can be flavored as BBQ, pizza, falafel, and onion.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Al-Aqsa Mosqu

Bamba

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Al-Aqsa Mosqu

Bamba

Day 4.

Today I left Jerusalem and flew out to Mecca. Islam is mainly worshiped in Mecca but there could be other religions. Surprisingly there was American food in Mecca. They were just some little food carts but I got to see something familiar! Once I had finished eating, I went to Kaaba which is a building at the center of Islam’s most sacred mosque. Kaaba is the most sacred site to islam and it's 41 feet tall.

Day 5.

Today I flew from Mecca to Varanasi which is in India. In Varanasi I stopped at the Vishwanath Temple which is one of the most famous Hindu temple that was built in 1780. While I was in Varanasi, I got to see the different culture and how people live their life. Men and women in Varanasi wear traditional Indian clothing. I made on last stop for the day at Tulsi Manas Temple which is a temple in which Hinduism is worshiped. It was opened in 1964 and has a cultural importance for Hindus.

Traditional Indian Clothing

Tulsi Manas Temple

Vishwanath Temple

Traditional Indian Clothing

Tulsi Manas Temple

Vishwanath Temple

Day 6.

After my long day in Varanasi, I flew to Bodh Gaya in Nepal. Bodh Gaya is where Buddhism is mainly worshiped. Women in Bodh Gaya wear normal American clothing and men wear raggedy old clothing. I stopped and ate mutton which is meat from sheep. In Bodh Gaya they have some foods that are different from America but there is also cultural foods. After eating I stopped at the Mahabodhi Temple which is considered a holy place to the Buddhists. Mahabodhi was opened in 280 b.c. In 2013 10 bombs were dropped on the temple injuring only five people. It was reconstructed and is visitable today.

Day 7.

On my final day of my trip I headed to Vishnupad Mandir which is an ancient temple in Gaya that was built in 1787. Vishnupad Mandir is a temple for hindus which was dedicated to Lord Vishnu. After visiting the Vishnupad Mandir, I stopped and ate some Tamarind Rasam which is a very popular South Indian soup. After a long day of sightseeing, I headed to my hotel to grab my things and I took a cab to the airport to come back home.

Vishnupad Mandir Temple

Tamarind Rasam

Cabs

Vishnupad Mandir Temple

Tamarind Rasam

Cabs

Day 8.

I’m so lucky that I got to fly around the world and discover new adventures each day. Every destination I visited, treated me well and gave me things to do. Out of my whole trip I think my favorite place was Varanasi. While I was there I got to see so many different traditions and a totally different culture then what I see every day. I finally got to the Redmond airport and headed back home!